Chapter 1

“But Mom, how are we going to find him?”

“Yeah, he’s a fugitive and pretty good at hiding, otherwise he’d’ve been found by now, right? And people know and like him. From what I can tell, the Merchant’s Guild is helping him where they can, when it’s safe, when he lets them, and there are people—.”

“We don’t find him. Think. You read his Declaration. We know where he’s going next.”

“Okay.... Okay, but will he go for the duke or the king? There’s no sitting Count or Countess of Fort Smith right now, so…?”

“He’ll go after the duke first, won’t he, Mom? It was personal with the count and the duke. I don’t think he’s even ever seen the king.”

“The duke makes more sense. As well protected as he is, he doesn’t have the resources of the king. The duke is safer, it gives him more practice hitting hard targets like this, and it’ll hone those skills he’ll need for the king. We’ll wait for him in Laggisport for when he goes for the duke.”

“We’ll help him!”

“How can we, dufus? Don’t you think it’ll distract him a little at a tricky moment? Pop out from behind a tapestry like Polonius on meth saying, ‘Hiya, Dad! Guess what? We’re dead too!’”

“Who’s Polonius?”

“Oh my God. From Hamlet?”

“Shut up. So I don’t have the complete works of Shakespeare memorized. Jeez.”

“We don’t say ‘shut up.’”

“Mom, I’m twenty-four.”

“And that’s your sister. We love each other and we don’t say ‘shut up.’ Now, when your father goes to kill the duke, yes, it’ll be tricky but I think we have to help him. I don’t think he’s thinking very clearly and, yes, if he sees us helping him that’ll most likely get us all killed.”

“So, we don’t let him see us.”

“Exactly.”

"And don't call your sister a dufus."

Ned sat in a tavern in the rough part of Fort Smith nursing an apple cider when he heard a warning squawk from above. The blow on his back came soon after and Ned was able to dump the kinetic energy into his arrows drifting in the extra-dimensional space inside a particular bag of holding dedicated for that purpose so he could turn and give the man who’d hit him a tired look.

The man was big, dark, and hairy with his tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in a comical expression of an idiot’s determination. He also held a big, double-bladed axe.

Ned watched the man’s jaw drop in shock when he realized his attack had no effect and snorted. He took another sip of his cider. It was just cider but of a better quality than he’d expected to find in such a place. Ned was afraid that if he started drinking in his current state he would never stop.

The big man must’ve decided the quickest way out of his predicament was through. He brought the axe back to try again, aiming to split Ned’s head from crown to chin.

Ned caught it between his thumb and forefinger, once again, directing the kinetic energy into his arrow bag.

“Double-bladed axes are stupid,” Ned said. “It’s not like you can hit with both blades at once and," Ned pointed at the opposite blade." You've always got a sharp edge aimed back at you. If it doesn’t bite when it hits it could rebound up into your face. Granted, it looks cool and the added weight might help with the penetration, but honestly, a bit of a hammer or a spike or a hook here instead would serve you better. Design it yourself?”

The big man stared at him.

“Enough said,” said Ned. “I bet the weaponsmith had a nice laugh. Here, let me help you with it.” Ned fed the axehead enough heat energy to melt it and then flash froze it, drawing every bit of heat back out of the metal before his attacker could yelp and drop it, shaking his hands.

When the axe hit the filthy floor of the tavern it shattered like glass.

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“Much better,” said Ned.

The man drew a sword.

Ned grit his teeth and stood.

The man took a step back.

Ned leveled a finger at him. “Thought you’d collect the bounty with a blow to the back like a coward, huh? Do you know me? Do you know what they did to me? What I’ve done? And you come at me alone while I’m trying to relax? While I’m waiting for my sandwich? You are alone, aren’t you?” Ned looked around behind the man.

No one met his gaze.

“Alone then. Saw a wanted poster, did you? Thought, ‘Welp, I’ll just commit a bit of cowardly murder here before lunch and fuck right and wrong and whether or not this asshole deserves it?’” Ned took another step toward the man.

The man took two steps back.

“I’m tired,” Ned said. “My family is dead. Again. My school is gone. My students dead. Do you know why I wanted that sandwich?” Ned hooked a thumb at the bar and the tavernkeeper who’d just returned with a sandwich on a plate. “Trick question,” said Ned. “I don’t want it. I was going to eat it anyway because it’s the right thing to do. I’m sick to my stomach all the time. All the time. I don’t want to get up out of bed. I feel like I weigh eight hundred pounds. I'm so tired. I can’t sleep though. I lay down anyway and stare at nothing all night. I can’t eat and when I do I don’t taste anything. I eat anyway. I don’t want to live really, but I do it anyway and I do it because it’s the right thing to do. Are you following me?”

The man took another step back.

“Do you know why I’m not killing you right now?” Ned said. He darted forward, snatched the sword from the man’s grip, gave it the same treatment as the axe and dropped it to break apart on the floor. “I could, you know. I don’t have to though, see? Killing you when I don’t have to would be, um, wrong. Wrong like chopping into someone’s back when they’re trying, and failing, to relax. I don’t have to kill you to stop you, do I?”

The man said nothing. He didn’t dare move.

“I don’t, do I?” Ned’s voice broke. His eyes were wet. “I mean, if you’ve got another weapon we could give it a go, I suppose. To paraphrase a favorite movie, it’s been a long time since I’ve fought just one person I suppose I could use the practice.” Ned rolled his shoulders and rotated his head on his neck. He looked at the man. “Well?”

The man ran out the door.

Ned walked back to where he was sitting at the bar. He nodded at the relieved tavern keeper and stared at the sandwich.

“You should eat that,” said Hughie. The little blue man sat down on the stool beside Ned.

“I know,” said Ned but he simply stared at it. “I’m so tired. Thanks for the warning.”

Hughie waved that away. “Eat,” he said. “You’ll feel less tired.”

“I know. Maybe.”

They sat for a while.

Ned picked up the sandwich. He took a bite.

“Any good?” asked Hughie.

“I have no idea,” said Ned. He took another bite. “Did you eat?”

Hughie nodded. “Do you think he was really alone? There were a few who left right after he did. They could be regrouping, coming back.”

Ned shrugged. “I kinda hope they do.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Hughie, I want to burn all this down. All of it.”

“All of what? The tavern?” Hughie caught the tavern keeper’s eye, which was now wide and staring. Hughie leaned back where Ned couldn’t see and shook his head, mouthing, “He won’t do that.”

The tavern keeper nodded but moved to the other end of the bar.

Ned took another bite of his sandwich. “No,” he said. “Wyere. All of it.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I do and I don’t,” he looked up at Hughie. “I won’t though.”

“I know you won’t.”

They were quiet. Ned ate his sandwich and drank his cider like a robot on an assembly line.

Hughie said, “Do you want to shave before you go to see the duke? Maybe change your robes? Or get new ones?”

“What is this ‘shave’ thing you said?” Ned snorted. “Never heard of it.”

“Okay, but what about your robes? They could at least do with a wash. You look like a vagrant.”

“I am a vagrant,” said Ned. “My home was taken, remember? And I think the duke deserves to be taken out by a hobo he made himself. Dress for the job you want, right?”

“Ned —.”

“Nope. I have to do what I said. I don’t really want to. Like I told that guy, I don’t want do to anything. I don’t want anything. I want to lay down and stay there, but that’s not right. I have to do what’s right.”

“Ned, you are not okay. The duke is ready and waiting for you.”

The Duke of Laggisport had been ‘away’ on ‘the king’s business’ for months now, keeping out of sight, only recently returning to his seat of power to proclaim a holiday for the next three days where he would be receiving visitors and well-wishers and petitioners at his palace. It was a trap, of course.

Ned looked up at Hughie and shrugged. “I’m not going to be okay for a while, Hughie. When the right thing’s got to be done, you don’t always get to wait until you’re okay to do it.”

“Okay, Ned.”

“Just let me finish this sandwich and we’ll get going.”

“You did finish the sandwich, Ned.”

“Oh.”

“You’re filling me with such confidence about our upcoming assassination attempt.”

Ned looked over at his friend. “I am?”

“You are not.”

“Oh.”

Hughie patted his back.